Slimmer than most. Swap out those utensils for some snacks. Salt shaker = margarita salt. Or do coffee, slip it on your back and ride out to deep playa for a little coffee klatsch.

There’s a discussion on how to keep warm going on, if you’re thinking “playa coat” don’t. If you’re still thinking “big and bulky,” shopgoodwillorg has a never-ending supply of fur coats of varying lengths, colors, styles – starting at a dollar. You just saved $899!!

These

would make a great “gift.” Love is a rite of passage, non? “First love?” And you can strap it to stuff with that little loop. Not a beaner, but a lanyard, mebbe. I’m not sure what you’d chain the end of

to.

Speaking of gifting and practical things, when people gift you food because hey man, the playa provides, you can thank them by using this spoon

This is like a anti-drug commercial’s dream,

LET’S GET HIGH AND STAB EACH OTHER!!! It’s going for $102, whatever it is. I truly prefer this one

“I want to go back to the Shire!”

It’s broken, but this

hand-crank sewing machine could be fun. Set up a little table and offer repairs. In all my many years of antiquing, junking, costuming, etc. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a ladies fez

Hm…several hundred of these discretely rebarred into the playa all over…especially a few leaning against The Man.

Often, perusing auctions is entertaining just for the auction descriptions. I learned a new word today, “mantique” (Manly antiques) and “Pro Action Poncho!” I mean, who wants a poncho that is anti-action?

I do want it to be nice and fitted, showing up my hourglass (more time on the bottom…) figure off, but comfortable and wearable. It was going smashingly until I broke my FAVORITE SEAM RIPPER 😦 😦 😦

I swear, I can go through some seam rippers…it unscrewed and you could put thread/needles/pins, etc. right innit. I found it on clearance at Joanne’s one day, a whole bunch of Generation T accoutrements. I also enjoy the magnetic pin box. It’s a nice combo between a wrist one and a pin cushion.

Anyways. Pinning and sewing, strip by strip…

Right now I’m trying to finish up the back. Debating suspenders. Onto the next project, this dress

(google is not being my friend today, I couldn’t find links to the seam ripper or the needle box or the look in my head for this dress)

Sort of an overcoat/duster thing, buttoned @ the waist, open and flared at the bottom. As you can see, though, it’s teeny – I used to be Molly’s size, and if it’s too small for her, it’s WAY too small for me.

Solution (it’s handmade and easy to do this with): add panels to the skirt, increasing waist size and giving it fullness and that swoopy look I want

I love my table, I totally splurged on it last year with the intent that if I had a dining room table, I’d have dinner parties (wrong) and it’d be a nice, large flat surface for getting all these damn projects done (mostly right). It can also be handy as a cutting guide

The green fabric there is a triangle insert to go under the arm, because the bodice part is too tight – it doesn’t need to fit over my chest, since I’m only buttoning at the waist, but it needs to look right

Not all wonky and puckered across the chest.

That leaves us with three unfinished but started projects: cloak, belt, corselet, overcoat – FOUR! NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!

Here’s the view from my front door:

This weekend I am going to clean up a bit, before I continue with any sewings!!

Last night I went over to the aforementioned awesome friend who kayaks and is loaning me stuff’s house for dinner/a looksee. He’s the reason I had an inbox full of drunk texts to me.

I’d tried that beer (it’s gluten-free) back when it came out, and it was so bad I actually tried to return it to the beer store. I must have gotten a bad batch, though, because it’s actually pretty good (for a non-stout/porter).

Really good.

“Counter bottles comforting”

There’s something comforting about waking up to a counter full of empty beer bottles.

We watched Greenberg while we ate. I was very much looking forward to this movie, and I very much didn’t care for it. It reminded me of Seinfeld. A bunch of unlikable characters I don’t care about at all…but still kinda watchable. Ben Stiller as a carpenter was laughable. The like, TWO scenes where they showed him doing carpentery stuff (carrying wood, measuring a wall to hang a little picture) were stupid. I like Rhys Ifan, though…the leading alternagirl was just pathetic, “Oh, I am so awkward and shy but so full of love for the right person! I’m lonely, would you like see my new thrift store tee shirt?? I just didn’t find anything likeable about her. Whiny and pathetic. Just like Ben Stiller’s main character. And every other character he’s done…anyways.

K loaned me some bags!

There’s another Army bag, a large rubber kayaking bag, a nifty black canvas backpack…the red thing is an air pad (that you can turn into a chair), the blue thing is a water bag, and the yellow thing is basically a thick space blanket.

I think the kayaking bag is bag #1, now,

because it’s lighter than the Army canvas one. I’d really like to use the smaller Army one as my carry-on, but I think it’s too big

I measured my suitcase, too

but I’m not sure what 14 inches long, 9 inches wide, 2 inches deep means. And I know I can take a carry-on, like a small suitcase, and some sort of personal bag. I mean, women today have purses bigger than what I pack for a whole weekend+…

And I was so drunk and excited about the bags and the progress I packed my first bag

I have that in a white, and a painted black with some laces painted purple one…up to a 30″ waist…maybe 31 or 31. It’s a medical brace corset, and it looks crazy awesome. $60 – and they go for a lot more on Ebay. I really, really hate to let these go. 😦

So yeah…buy stuff. Cuz you know I’ll also throw in little surprises and such, too. I guess paypal…checks work, too. And if this idea appeals to you, I added a “Marketplace bizarre!” (Bizarre Bazaar, et al) category, so you can click on it and see what all I’ll be putting up.